St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-02
A MAIDSTONE 100 YEARS OLD.
1t VIII Cure Poisonous Bites From
Rattlesnakes and Scorpions.
1t Rivals the Pool of Bethesda as "a
Cure-All for a Community.


Atlanta Constitution.
The recent death of a man in Banks
county who had been bitten by mad dog
has revived interest in madStones, of which
there are several in various parts of the
state There IS one in Fairburn which is
said to have been successfully applied to
about 10G persons. But. by all odds, the
most notable stone in the South is that
owned by Mrs. L.. w. Gibson in Columbia
county. 1t derives interest not alone from
the wonderful cures which it has effected,
but from its antiquity and the manner III
which it came into possession of the family
In 1T43 vessel from the East Indies
touched the coast of North Carolina, where
the great grandfather of Mrs. Gibson's hus-
band lived at the time. A passenger who
was sick was put off and Mr.. Gibson took
him to his home, where the stranger was
welcomed and nursed back to health.
When about to take his departure he took
from his pocket two stones, one of which
he presented to Mr.. Gibson telling him that
it was of great age. as he had been assured
by the gentleman from whom he procured
1t in Bombay that it possessed remarkable
powers III all cases of blood poisoning
whether it resulted from corroSion of for
elgn substances. from the bites of animals
or insects OF any description or from inOcu-
latlon. Even in eases of smallpox said
the stranger, the stone had been known to
extract the poison from the SYSTEM leaving
the patient thoroughly restored to health
The stone was OF grayish- black color and
perfectly smooth. 1t was one inch in
length. three quarters of an inch in width
and half an inch thick.
The stranger disappeared, and the stone
was laid by as curiosity to remind the
family Of its curious guest. No faith was
placed i'll its medicinal qualities. It was
not long, however. before All event hap
pened which brought the stone into high
repute. A member of Mr.. Gibson's family
was bitten by a rattlesnake. All known
remedies failed. The patient had passed
into paroxysms and all hope had fled. 1t
was then that one of the children thought
Of the mysterious stone. Asno harm could
be done. it was determined to use it.. An
incision was made in the patients leg, one
inch above the spot bitten. and the stone
Inserted. As the stone adhered scream
OF unutterable anguish escaped the lips
OF the sufferer, as if life itself was be-
ing drawn out. In less than one minute
the stone had changed its color from dark
gray to demonstrating green. 1t was
pulled out and soaked in warm water and
applied again and again, its adhesive power
growing less and less, until at last it re-
fused to stick. BY this time the patient
fell into heavy sleep, only to awake to a
consciousness Of restored health. He lived
for thirty years after the event happened.
1t was thus that the stone, which was only
kept as a jest, became an object which
money could not buy. From all parts of
the coast there were calls for the wonderful
stone. The family subsequently removed
TO Columbia county in this state, where for
100 years this stone has been an object of
curiosity to physicians and people in gen.
eral.
The recent history of this remarkable
stone is quite as strange as that of its ear
lier years, curing the bites of mad dogs and
cats, the stings of scorpions and snakes and
the incubation of poisonous substances.
In 1872 Abe Lockhart, a colored man in
Columbia county, was bitten by pilot
snake. The stone was applied to the bite
The wonderful part of the story is that the
man, who had inherited Scrofula, was cured
OF that disease. and has had since no return
OF the malady. Seven years ago Shack
Green, who lived nine miles away, was bit
ten by rattleSnake. When found he was
unconscious. He was put into wagon and
driven the nine miles to the home of Mrs.
Gibson. By that time the Victims leg had
swollen TO three times its usual size AS
soon as the stone was applied it affected the
sufferer precisely as it had its first subject,
over century before. A case which at
tracted widespread attention, how
ever, was that of Miss Will
JAMS, who lived near the plan
tation of Gen. Robert Toombs, in Wilkes
county. In 1883 Miss Williams was in
oculated from virus obtained from mad
COW. When the fact was discovered it
sent schock through the community. The
lady's friends at once resolved to use Mrs.
GibSon's maidstone which was entirely sue
cessful in warding off the anticipated dan
ger A strange case, however, was that of
the two grandchildren of Mrs. McGinty, of
Norwood. who had been bitten and
scratched fearfully by mad cat. The
stone was applied to the Two alternately.
The children were taken 10 the house by
their two uncles, who, sixty years before,
had been themselves bitten by mad dogs
and owed their rescue to the same stone.
In fact, there is hardly community in
the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama in
which the fame of this renowned stone has
not been heard of. Frequently the coun-
try home of Mrs. Gibson, at Appling. is
surrounded by vehicles bearing the afflicted
from distant points anxious to be restored
to health.